Register.



No. 679,789. Patented Aug. 6, |901. `P. s. smurfen.

REGISTER.

(Application led May 29, 1900.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.,

PETER S. STAUFFER, OF SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JAMES II. BURT,OF SAME PLACE.

REGISTER.

SPECIFICATION forming partof Letters Patent No. 679,789, dated August 6, 1901. Application filed May 29, 1900. Serial No. 18,411.- (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that l, PETER S. STAUFFER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing in Springfield, in the countyof Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Registers, of which the following is a speciication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and letters of reference marked thereon.

In the drawings like letters of reference indicate like parts.

Figure I is a plan view of a section of a register constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an end elevation taken on line 2 2 of Fig. l, showing the registerframe and closing-doors in section and showing the operating mechanism in full lines. Fig. 3 is a side view in section of one end portion of the frame, showing the operating mechanism. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the register adapted to be mounted in a wall, illustrating the mechanism adapted for opening and closing the doors. A

In detail, o, indicates the top portion of the frame; b, the iianges,preferably castintegral therewith; tithe detachable flange; c, d, and e., the separate doors; f, one of the sliding bars by which one of the doors is operated; g, the projecting footpiece by which the bar fis moved; h, anotherA sliding bar adapted to operate two doors simultaneously; fi, a projecting footpiece by which the sliding bar h is operated; j, lugs having inclined edges and attached to the doors; lc, pins projecting from the sliding barsin the path of thelugs The construction and operation of my device are as follows:

The frame is castin a single piece,except one of the end flanges b2, which flange is attached to the lower face of the plate, preferably by a single screw. The doors c, d, and e are recessed on their under sides, said recesses eX- tending well up 'into the portions which project through the openwork of the frame. These projections extend to a point which will bring their upper surfaces substantially flush with the upper surface of the frame, and, as before stated, the projecting portions are recessed from below. This while giving to the doors the same strength and rigidity they `would have if made plain makes the doors very much lighter in weight, less expensive to manufacture, and easier to operate than they would be if said projections were not recessed. In orderto avoid the presentation `of joints between the doors, the edges, so far as exposed to the open-work part of the frame, are shaped to conform to the ribs or parts around the openings of the open-work, so that the edges of the doors constructed as illustrated in the drawings follow the openwork on the lines indicated in dotted lines in Fig. l. dierent design from that illustrated in the drawings, then the profile shape of the edges of the doors will be changed to correspond to the contour or shape of the design. In all cases the edges of the doors should be so Shaped as to bring the joints underneath the framework forming the openwork of the register-frame, so that no joints are seen and the unsightly appearance of the joints is entirely avoided and danger of dust or dirt sifting through and of heat or dust passing upwardly through the joints is to a large degree entirely overcome.

I prefer that the upper surface of the portion of the doors which projects through the openings in the frame be roughened, so as to avoid the objectionable slippery surface generally found in registers.

I prefer to construct the doors with pivotal lugs projecting at each end and located at or nearer one of their sides, and I provide the end iianges with recesses to receive said pivotal lugs, so that in assembling the device it simply becomes necessary to place the doors in the requisite position, with the pivotal lugs at one end entering recesses in the fixed end flange, then adjusting the removable end flange, arranging the pivotal lugs therein, and fastening the removable ange to the main portion of the frame. I prefer for convenience that the removable iiange be secured to the frame by the employment of a single screw, as shown in Fig. 3, this ange being provided with a lug Z, through which a screw passes, entering the plate of the frame, thus serving to secu re the removable flange firmly in position.

The doors are operated by footpieces g and If the open-work of the frame is ofA ICO portion toward the pivotal side of the doork inclined, as shown in the drawings. It will now be seen that if the footpiece g .be carried to the right, as illustrated in Fig: 2, the pin lo will, bear against the inclined edge of the lugj and will turn the door on its hinge or pivot until it is carried home to its closedl position, carrying its projecting portions through the openings in the open-work of the frame, and that as the pin 7c passes the incline on the lug j it will bear against the portion of the lug which lies substantially parallel with the face of the door and permanently maintain the door in its closed position' so long as the sliding bar fremains in that position, and that in order to open the door it simply becomes necessary to force the footpieces g to the left, when the door c will open by gravity and occupy a position substantially as shown in full lines in Fig. 2.

I prefer thatthe doors c and d be arranged to operate simultaneously. Each one of these doors may, however, be arranged to operate independently, if desired.

To operate the two doors c and d, l provide a sliding bar h, similar in construction to the sliding bar f described, excepting that it is provided with two lugs j, one for each door, so that if the footpiece z' is moved to the left, as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines, the pin k, projecting laterally from the sliding bar h, will move out of the path of the lugs j and allow these doors to turn downwardly by gravity on their pivots until they occupy a position substantially vertical, and a movement of the footpiece in a reverse direction will carry it to the position indicated in Fig. 2 in full lines, thus moving the sliding bar-h and causing the two doors c andd to move to their (nosed position.

For the purpose of providing a device for use as a register to be mounted in a side wall, or, in other words, so that the face of the register will stand vertical instead of lying horizontally,the construction is substantially the same, excepting that the lugs j are provided with bearing-surfaces to bear against the pins on two sides, or, in other words, said lugs are made larger and are provided with slots, which slots follow the same direction as the edges ofthe lugs j, so that a movement of the footpieces operates to force the doors either open or closed and gravity alone is not relied-upon.

Having therefore described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination in a register,of an openwork frame, two or more doors arranged to close the openings in said frame, said doors being shaped at their meeting edges to conform to a line drawn through said-open-Work in a general direction, but following the central line of the ribs forming said open-work vsubstantially as shown.

2. A register comprising a frame having three fixed and one removable iiange, and an open-work exterior surface, doors provided with projections adapted to enter and substantially fill the openings in said surface, when closed,pivotall y mounted in the flanges, sliding bars arranged to turn the doors on their pivots, one bar to operate one door and one bar to operate two or more doors simultaneously substantially as shown.

3. The combination in a register, of a register-frame provided with an open-work eX- Y terior surface and having one depending rib thereof provided with an inwardly-projecting iiange fm, sliding bars arranged to Vrest upon said inturned flange, pins 7c projecting laterally from said bars, doors pivotally mounted in said frame and provided with projections adapted to enter and substantially lill the openings in said surface, when closed, and having lugs j, arranged in path of said pins, and footpieces projecting above the surface of the frame and connected with the sliding bars substantially as and for the purposes stated.

4. The combination in a register of a register-frame, having an open-work exterior surface and having three iixed downwardly-projecting flanges, a removable flange b2 detachably secured to said frame, three doors pivotally mounted, and provided with projections adapted to enter and substantially fill the openings in said surface, when closed, a bar f having a footpiece g adapted to operate one of said doors and a sliding bar h having a projecting footpiece c' adapted to operate two of said doors simultaneously, substantially as shown.

PETER S. STAUFFER.

Witnesses:

ALLEN WEBSTER, S. SWEENEY.

IOO

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